Tangkhul
Tangkhul Naga
Sino-Tibetan
Tangkhul Naga is one of the largest Naga languages, spoken by ~140,000 Tangkhul people in the Ukhrul District of Manipur, India, and the Somra Hills of Sagaing Region, Myanmar. The Tangkhul are part of the broader Naga ethnopolitical complex (~3M Nagas across NE India and Myanmar) but linguistically distinct: Tangkhulic is one of the most divergent groups within Naga linguistics, separated from other Naga and Kuki-Chin languages by significant grammatical and lexical differences. Tangkhul has classical Tibeto-Burman features (tonal, SOV, polypersonal verb morphology) but unique Tangkhulic phonological features. The London Missionary Society introduced Latin literacy in the early 20th century, and the New Testament was translated into Tangkhul (Pettigrew 1925).
Where it is spoken
20 core words in Tangkhul Naga
Water
ze
/ze/
Fire
mei
/mei/
Sun
nyithui
/ɲitʰui/
Moon
lai
/lai/
Mother
ina
/ina/
Father
apa
/apa/
Eat
ngui
/ŋui/
Drink
rai
/rai/
Love
cha
/tʃa/
Heart
mokyaba
/mokjaba/
Tree
leiyik
/leijik/
House
shim
/ʃim/
Dog
ui
/ui/
Cat
mibu
/mibu/
Hand
phei
/pʰei/
Eye
mi
/mi/
Hello
hayau
/hajau/
Thank you
ase
/ase/
One
kha
/kʰa/
Good
kahei
/kahei/
Sources
Words compared
Compared with related Sino-Tibetan languages
| Meaning | Tangkhul Naga | Zeme Naga | Hakha Chin | Kurtöp | Mizo | Iban | Meitei |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | ze /ze/ | nki /nki/ | ti /ti/ | khwe /kʰwe/ | tui /tui/ | ai /ai/ | ꯏꯁꯤꯡ /isiŋ/ |
| Fire | mei /mei/ | mei /mei/ | mei /mei/ | mi /mi/ | mei /mei/ | api /api/ | ꯃꯩ /mei/ |
| Sun | nyithui /ɲitʰui/ | sʰeu /sʰeu/ | ni /ni/ | ningpe /niŋpe/ | ni /ni/ | mata-ari /mataari/ | ꯅꯨꯃꯤꯠ /numit/ |
| Moon | lai /lai/ | kʰu /kʰu/ | thla /tʰla/ | lai /lai/ | thla /tʰla/ | bulan /bulan/ | ꯊꯥ /tʰaː/ |
| Mother | ina /ina/ | nem /nem/ | nu /nu/ | amai /amai/ | nu /nu/ | indai /indai/ | ꯏꯃꯥ /ima/ |
| Father | apa /apa/ | ape /ape/ | pa /pa/ | apai /apai/ | pa /pa/ | apai /apai/ | ꯏꯄꯥ /ipa/ |
| Eat | ngui /ŋui/ | so /so/ | ei /ei/ | za /za/ | ei /ei/ | makai /makai/ | ꯆꯥꯕ /tʃaːba/ |
| Drink | rai /rai/ | hʷu /hʷu/ | din /din/ | thung /tʰuŋ/ | in /in/ | ngirup /ŋirup/ | ꯊꯛꯄ /tʰakpa/ |
| Love | cha /tʃa/ | kihai /kihai/ | daw /daw/ | ga /ɡa/ | hmangaih /hmaŋai/ | rinduai /rinduai/ | ꯅꯨꯡꯁꯤꯕ /nuŋsiba/ |
| Heart | mokyaba /mokjaba/ | heisia /heisia/ | lung /luŋ/ | nying /ɲiŋ/ | thinlung /tʰinluŋ/ | ati /ati/ | ꯊꯃꯣꯏ /tʰamoi/ |
| Tree | leiyik /leijik/ | rik /rik/ | thingkung /tʰiŋkuŋ/ | shing /ɕiŋ/ | thingkung /tʰiŋkuŋ/ | kayu /kaju/ | ꯐꯨꯂꯥꯡ /pʰulaŋ/ |
| House | shim /ʃim/ | ki /ki/ | inn /in/ | khim /kʰim/ | in /in/ | rumah /rumah/ | ꯌꯨꯝ /jum/ |
| Dog | ui /ui/ | hui /hui/ | ui /ui/ | khwi /kʰwi/ | ui /ui/ | ukui /ukui/ | ꯍꯨꯏ /hui/ |
| Cat | mibu /mibu/ | kʰemi /kʰemi/ | minu /minu/ | byila /bila/ | zawhte /zɔʔte/ | mayau /majau/ | ꯍꯧꯗꯣꯡ /houdoŋ/ |
| Hand | phei /pʰei/ | hak /hak/ | kut /kut/ | lak /lak/ | kut /kut/ | jari /dʒari/ | ꯈꯨꯠ /kʰut/ |
| Eye | mi /mi/ | mik /mik/ | mit /mit/ | mik /mik/ | mit /mit/ | mata /mata/ | ꯃꯤꯠ /mit/ |
| Hello | hayau /hajau/ | hangba /haŋba/ | na dam maw /na dam maw/ | kuzu zangpo /kuzu zaŋpo/ | chibai /tʃibai/ | salam /salam/ | ꯈꯨꯔꯨꯝꯖꯔꯤ /kʰuɾumdʒaɾi/ |
| Thank you | ase /ase/ | kazi /kazi/ | ka lawm /ka lawm/ | kadrinche /kadrintɕe/ | ka lawm e /ka lɔːm e/ | terima kasih /terima kasih/ | ꯊꯥꯒꯠꯆꯔꯤ /tʰaːɡattʃaɾi/ |
| One | kha /kʰa/ | kha /kʰa/ | pakhat /pakʰat/ | thê /tʰe/ | pakhat /pakʰat/ | satu /satu/ | ꯑꯃ /ama/ |
| Good | kahei /kahei/ | ahei /ahei/ | tha /tʰa/ | lekpo /lekpo/ | tha /tʰa/ | manah /manah/ | ꯐꯕ /pʰaba/ |
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